1. Field of the Invention
This invention has relation to augers used by ice fisherman and more particularly to augers useful to both bore a cylindrical hole of predetermined diameter through the ice on a lake and to ream out a bottom portion of that hole to form an inverted funnel shape opening to greatly facilitate the landing of hooked fish through the ice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to use augers to bore holes through ice extending over bodies of water to form what is known as ice fishing holes. There are a very large number of such augers in existence today. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,478 granted to Tibbals, Jr. et al in November of 1942 shows a hollow cylindrical cutting element 17 which is rotated and forced downwardly into the ice, cutting the ice with V-shaped cutting teeth 19. In this type of boring device, a solid core of ice is formed which is lifted out after the boring tool or cutting element 17 has cut clear through the ice layer.
A perhaps more usual structure is, however, one where a pair of substantially horizontally positioned boring blades at the end of an upright drive shank are rotated by manual or power means to cut down through the ice in a manner similar to the manner in which an old-fashioned, hand-operated brace and bit bores a hole through wood, where the hole being bored through the wood is one inch or more in diameter.
After a cylindrical hole is bored through the ice, it is known to provide a separate tool having retracted blades which can be lowered down through the cylindrical hole and then extended outwardly past the side walls of the cylindrical hole at an acute angle to the axis of the hole. These blades are then forced up against the bottom of the hole and rotated to form an inverted funnel-like bottom opening to the ice fishing hole. The following U.S. patents show such structures: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,299,970 granted to Anderson in Jan. 24, 1967; 3,336,989 granted to Henderson in August of 1967; 3,397,750 granted to Wicklund in August of 1968; and 3,749,184 granted to Andeen in July of 1973.
All of these cited patents show structure designed to overcome the difficulties encountered when a straight-sided cylindrical hole is used as an ice fishing hole. In landing either a small or a large fish through such a straight cylindrical hole after the fish is hooked on the fisherman's line, the line must often take on a substantially right angle bend over the jagged edge of the ice at the bottom of the cylindrical cut. Also, even if the line does not break under this strain and rough action, when the head of the hooked fish comes up against the solid flat ice surface adjacent the hole, this shock can often break the line. When the head does hit the ice in that manner, the fisherman must relax the tension on the line instantaneously to allow the head to move into alignment with the cylindrical hole before again pulling on the line. This instantaneous release pressure will, many times, result in the fish being able to "throw" the bait hook from its mouth, or this lack of pressure on the line will allow the hook to otherwise become disengaged.
While each of these patents showing structure for obtaining an inverted funnel-shape opening demonstrates a clear need for the production of such an opening by the ice fisherman, every one of them presupposes that the cylindrical, vertical-sided hole through the ice is drilled or bored by a separate ice auger before the reaming tool is inserted through the hole.
In the patent to Anderson, '970, at column 1, beginning on line 23, it is stated that an "object of the invention is to provide means for lowering and lifting ice cutting equipment into a pre-cut small ice hole, and for providing actual cutting of the lower edges of the pre-cut ice hole by lifting up on the cutting means and thus reaming the ice by turning the handle of the upper end thereof."
In the patent to Henderson, '989, in column 1, beginning on line 43, it is pointed out that the ice cutting tool of that invention "provides a simplified means of tapering or flaring the bottom surface of the [cylindrical] hole to facilitate movement of the fish as it is brought to the surface of the water and prevent the hook from being dislodged." This is illustrated in FIG. 2 of that patent.
In the patent to Wicklund, '750, at column 1, beginning on line 29, it is provided that the "invention comprises two embodiments of ice trimming devices for chamfering the lower end of a precut ice fishing hole whereby the sharp hidden lower edge of the hole will be eliminated and fish may be easily drawn upward through the hole."
The Andeen patent, '184, states at column 1, beginning on line 3, that the "present invention is directed to the art of ice fishing and is more specifically directed to a tool for use in flaring the lower portions of a hole cut through the ice. As is well known in the art of ice fishing, a straight cylindrical hole extending through the ice tends to pose problems to the ice fisherman in that when fish are caught, the line must in many instances be drawn in by the ice fisherman so that a right angle turn must be negotiated by the fish as it is pulled from the water out onto the surface of the ice." In FIG. 3 of the Andeen patent, an ice cutting tool 32 is shown affixed to the bottom of the ice flaring tool and is designed to be screwed into position and held into place by a set screw 33 which is seen in FIG. 1. However, it is to be noted that there is no cooperation between the ice cutting tool 32 for cutting the cylindrical hole through the ice and the ice flaring mechanism. In fact, the specification of the Andeen patent provides at column 2, beginning on line 60: "As is illustrated in FIG. 3, opening 31 may be utilized to hold an ice cutting tool 32 of conventional spoon type for drilling the initial cylindrical hole through the surface of the ice. It is desirable to have ice hole drilling tool 32 removable from the overall assembly after completion of the initial drilling operation as it merely adds unnecessary weight for subsequent flaring of the lower side of the hole produced by the ice tool spoon 32."
Other structures which include flaring tools or reamers or the like for undercutting post holes already drilled in the earth include the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,561,523 granted to Riedle in November of 1925; 1,970,063 granted to Steinman in August of 1934. Here again, these structures are designed for use in post holes or the like which have already been drilled by another instrument.
In the Riedle Patent '523, it is stated at page 1, beginning on line 92, that the "ends of the cutter bars 1 are inserted into sockets 21 and the machine is lowered into a previously bored hole; . . . " In the Steinman Patent '063, it is stated at page 1, beginning at line 1 that the "invention relates to underreamers for enlarging the bottom portion of holes made in the ground for the reception of piers or the like thereby increasing the bearing surface with a minimum excavation of earth."
The patents cited above were all located by a skilled patent searcher working with an early form of the present invention. That searcher also cited U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,478; but it is not believed to be pertinent to the present invention. Neither the inventor nor those in privity with him are aware of any closer prior art than that discussed above and are aware of no prior art which anticipates the claims set out herein.
What was needed before the present invention was a compact, easily "knocked down" and easily reassembled device which an ice fishmerman could carry from his home to the fishing place conveniently, and which was capable of both boring a cylindrical hole of predetermined diameter entirely through the ice and then reaming out the bottom portion of that hole to form an inverted funnel shape opening through which hooked fish can easily be drawn.